What ever the difference is , someone will announce that we don't need them.
The LCVPs on the AOPVs are really only designed for use at anchor in sheltered waters, so I wouldn't call that an "amphibious capability".
The 127mm on the model is the BAE Mk45. The 127mm that was selected is the Otto Melaka 127/64 Light Weight. It looks different.
Definitely not going to help us much even if storming Wasaga beach …
For what they are intended to do, they are a great piece of kit from what I understand. The whole point of the boat is to move people and things from an AOPV to an isolated arctic community that has no port facilities.
A pair of Albatrosses around the neck of the RCN wouldn't have been an especially welcome development at the time, there was good reason for letting that purchase go.
might as well offer to purchase the PofW from the UK
It's still a amphibious capability, just not a robust one, but will actually lets you put ATV's ashore which can be significant benefit. They work with the mission set given to the AOP's and are a significant leap up over anything we have had in the last 30+ years
As I understand it the only reason we did not get them was that an election was called. For people focused on ASW I can see why they did not want them, but I personally believe they would have been a great asset for Canada and allow us to help our allies. Along with forcing the three arms to work together.
Particularly when your short helicopters and you still are not certified to have one onboard.
And taking one for a SovPat in the arctic would be a waste of the resources you do have...
Agreed that a Cyclone would be a waste of resources on an AOPS SovPat, but a smaller helicopter for ice recce, liason/transport, SAR and medivac purposes in a part of the world where help is typically VERY far away I'd think would be extremely useful.
Most ice recce is done via satellite these days, based on my conversations with the Ice Service Specialists(ISS) that sail in CCG and RCN ships, as well as their bosses at Canadian Ice Services(CIS). As for medivac, where is an AOPV going to take someone that a Twin Otter isn't better suited to take people? The sick bay onboard is well equipped, but it's still likely better to get a bush plane in, and fly someone to a hospital in Iqaluit or Inuvik.
www.aptnnews.ca
Rather than fly them to a boat then sail the patient at 17kt to the nearest facility, you could instead fly a Twin Otter to the same place, and fly the patient to a hospital at significantly faster speeds than 17tk.
There is actually a great reason to limit it to boats most of the time, we have a lot more of them than we do helicopters and trained air crews. To add an Air Det you need to take away accommodations for other dets, which means less Rangers. The AOPVs can only realistically house about 100 people for more than a few days, meaning you either take an Air Det of 20+, or you take a larger group of Rangers and use boats. Both have advantages, and both have drawbacks.
A UAS is likely a much better use of space and fuel for those sorts of tasks.
Emergencies up there happen as fast as they do down south, and we have agencies specifically tasked with dealing with emergencies up there and down here.
